If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

View Poll Results: Which Tamilnadu player would you like to retain for next IPL?

With the opening ceremony of the fifth edition of the IPL Championship just about a week away, the home team is coming together in the city in preparation of their practice camp. The Super Kings camp has been a bee-hive of activity over the past one month. Final touches are being put to their marketing plan, practice pitches are in place, support players for bowling have been identified and preparations are in full swing. The team has got a boost this year with the launch of their spectacular fan video, Chennai Super Kings Ku Raise your Hands launched the day before.
The players are arriving in batches and will be at full strength by the first week of April 2012.
Currently, player manager Russell Radhakrishnan and Physio Tommy Simsek are already in the city.

All 700 Rs tickets for first match sold out on Sunday itself....Went to Triplicane for a function on Sunday, oru 11.30-kka Stadium pakkam pOnEn....malai paambhu maadhiri neeeLamaana queue in koLuthum veyyil....apdiyE about turn dhaan

MSD great at hiding emotions: RainaCSK star reveals the secret behind his and his team’s IPL success

At his best with the bat, he owns the midwicket boundary. His authoritative drives and cuts bear the uncanny attractiveness of a left-hander. While fielding inside the circle, he’s a bundle of energy and agility. According to Jonty Rhodes, he is currently the “best fielder in India”.

All these aspects of Suresh Raina’s cricket are well-documented. But talent needs other qualities to fulfil its promise, and Raina has those too. He’s a committed young man with a strong work ethic. He swears by the words of his seniors and coaches. Despite scaling the peak of stardom and riches at the young age of 25, he remains humble. There is an effortless friendliness in his demeanour even if he’s speaking to you for the very first time.

Some of these traits shone through in his chat with iplt20.com, where he spoke about CSK’s IPL success, his favourite left-handed batsmen and coaches and the lighter moments shared with his CSK teammates.

IPL Success

Being the highest run-getter in IPL is amazing. God has been very kind. We’ve done really well as a team and fortunately I’ve contributed in all four seasons. I’m really looking forward to the fifth season and playing with the new players that are coming in the team, like [Ravindra] Jadeja. Hopefully, I’ll do well this time too.

Batting at No.3, my role is very important in the side. Every time I get a start, I try to finish the game. We have [Michael] Hussey, [Murali] Vijay and myself batting at one, two and three, which forms a very formidable top order. I’m a positive player by nature and that’s how I’m expected to play.
IPL has taught me how to handle pressure and bat in difficult situations. Recently, in the CB Series, we chased down 321 under 40 overs against Sri Lanka. Virat and I put up 120 runs in nine odd overs. We could do it because of the IPL, where we’re often faced with such situations.
I always give my 100 per cent, irrespective of whether I’m wearing the blue jersey or the yellow one. As a professional cricketer, each game is a challenge for me.

Being a Super King

The secret behind CSK’s success is that we always stand by each other – in victories and defeats, joy and sorrow. We always help each other out and celebrate each other’s success, which is very important.

My funniest moment in IPL was when I almost pulled off Doug Bollinger’s hair out after he picked up an important wicket. I didn’t know he had just got a hair transplant done. He swore at me, saying, ‘If you ever touch my hair again, I’ll kill you’. I didn’t go anywhere near him the next time he got a wicket. I have downloaded that video. We still watch it and have a good laugh.

The amount of respect and money we get from the IPL is outstanding. But when we play cricket it’s all about the team. Playing and winning games together has a different high.

CSK didn’t do too well in the 2011 CLT20. We hope to get back on track with this IPL. This year is going to be a challenge for us as the other teams must have figured us out in the last four years.

MS Dhoni – leader, finisher and friend
Dhoni is a very good leader of men. He knows what to tell each player and gets the best out of him. He always believes in his players. It is that belief which won India the World Cup and took us to the No.1 Test spot.

The best thing about Dhoni’s captaincy is that he ensures the environment in the dressing room is always cheerful and positive. When that happens, you can beat any team in the world. He shares a very good equation with the players and the support staff.
People think MS is very calm under pressure. But being his friend I know that calmness is only a facade. He does a very good job of hiding his emotions. The way he conducts himself in such situations shows the toughness of his character. There’s so much one can learn from him. He doesn’t think about the past or worry about the future, just lives in the present moment.

Southpaw mentors
Luckily, my last three coaches have been left-handers – Gary Kirsten with the Indian team and Kepler Wessels and now Stephen Fleming with CSK. I’ve also benefitted a lot from having seniors like Mike Hussey and Matthew Hayden in the CSK camp.
Stephen Fleming is the friendliest, most dashing and disciplined coach I’ve ever had. He’s also one of the most wonderful human beings I’ve met in my life.

The best advice that Fleming gave me was, ‘Stay away from the cheerleaders and focus on your game’.
Sourav Ganguly is my favourite left-hander. I spoke to him at Lord’s and he told me, ‘You have the talent, the strokes and plenty of time on your hand. Keep up the good work and have fun. Have faith in your ability and enjoy the moment’.

As he prepares for yet another action-packed season in the yellow jersey, Raina has made some notes for himself. “Be honest, stay humble, add value to the team”, he says. If he persists with that, it will bode well not only for CSK but for Indian Cricket at large.

IPL is a tournament where 7 teams compete with each other to meet Chennai Super Kings in the final.

The Indian Premier League is a happy hunting ground for this big cat. Will the Lion roar again for Chennai?

The Chennai Super Kings will be aiming for a spectacular hat-trick of titles in IPL-5. It's a predatory outfit that picks and chooses it moment to attack. It's also a clever side that responds to situations and creates difficult scenarios for the opposition.

Not surprisingly, CSK is the most successful IPL team; it has triumphed in the IPL twice, reached the final and the semifinal of the competition once each and also won the Champions League.

And it has a strong captain in M.S. Dhoni. His calm exterior, the ability to absorb pressure and tactical nous have ensured CSK's stay at the top. The captain remains one of the most potent finishers in the shorter formats of the game; he keeps his mind blank but gets the opposition bowlers to blink first at the death.

This said, the burden of expectations will be on CSK this time around. In how Dhoni's men cope with this stress, lies their biggest challenge.

Coach Stephen Fleming will surely chip in with his inputs. He will seek to drive home a sporting truth – winning is a habit and teams that do not fear defeat win more.

In the IPL territory, moves off the field – in the auction – can be as crucial as ones on it.

Having the reputation of a franchise that uses its money wisely, CSK's signing of left-arm spinning all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for two million dollars surprised many.

While the jury is still out on the expensive buy, the CSK has its reasons for roping in Jadeja. On surfaces where the ball grips, Jadeja's brand of left-arm spin could be valuable for the side.

He could combine effectively with the versatile R. Ashwin in the middle overs to build pressure on the batting side. Although Shadab Jakati has turned in some useful displays for CSK overs the years, there was a feeling that he was becoming rather predictable.

Jadeja's ability with the bat and his fielding ability could also be assets to the team.

The CSK is a formidable force at Chepauk and the spinner-friendly conditions are once again likely to favour the host. Ashwin, with his ability to contain and strike at different stages of the innings, will be a key player. Sri Lankan off-spinner Suraj Randiv, who sent down some influential spells last season, will be around too.

Yet, batting remains the team's stronger flank. Murali Vijay, back after tending to a wrist injury in Australia, can be explosive in T20 cricket, both with conventional strokes and the ability to bludgeon the ball over the on-side field. Suresh Raina has a range of inventive strokes of power and finesse. S. Badrinath offers the side both solidity and enterprise.

Michael Hussey will miss the first seven matches due to his commitments for Australia but this will provide CSK with an opportunity to field a new opening partner for Vijay. Abhinav Mukund and Anirudha Srikkanth will be in the fray.

Albie Morkel's big hitting can dent the opposition morale while his pace bowling – he has a handy yorker – can still make an impact. Left-armer Doug Bollinger's incision and accuracy can pose searching questions to the batsmen. When Ben Hilfenhuas joins the side following the Australian tour of the West Indies, his right-arm swing could complement Bollinger's methods. CSK also expects much from the home pacemen such as the tall and rejuvenated Sudip Tyagi.

The spirit in the camp reflects the bonding in CSK. Belief is a key attribute.

Come April 4, CSK, the big cat, will be on the prowl again.

IPL is a tournament where 7 teams compete with each other to meet Chennai Super Kings in the final.